Thursday, September 20, 1973
NEW BREED OF CRIMINALS EMERGING
Parents' Uncaring Attitude Criticised
Hong Kong is breeding a different type of criminal which must and
will be catered for, the Commissioner of Prisons, Mr. T.G. Garner, said
today.
In a speech to the Rotary Club of Kowloon, he also criticised
selfish and irresponsible parents of many young offenders.
He said young criminals in Hong Kong today ganged together and
acted in a manner "which surpasses all norms even in the known criminal
field."
As a result, when sent to prison these young offenders were to
some extent ostracised by older prisoners because of their way of life.
He described the so-called young thugs as "basically weaklings,"
and said they got their strength through joining gangs and quasi-triad
societies.
Since 1965 the number of offenders under the age of 21 had grown
from 5.21 per cent to 26.41 per cent. Of today's 6,282 prisoners, 1,659
were under 21.
Mr. Garner said parents of young offenders often seemed unconcerned
that their sons or daughters might have committed a violent crime.
"Too often they are not so much interested in what their child
has done but only that he or she has been taken out of circulation and
placed in confinement which has resulted in the loss of a source of income
to the family," he said.
"The attitude